Glen Reen celebrates victory in the Late Model feature at the NAPA Spring Sizzler at Stafford Motor Speedway on April 29 (Photo: Jim DuPont)
With the sun shining and nearly perfect weather conditions in the area, a Friday morning for many Stafford Motor Speedway competitors means preparation for a night of racing at the track.
Friday morning reigning Stafford Speedway Late Model champion Glen Reen was on the golf course not thinking about what any sort of evening competition might bring for him.
It wasn’t by choice that Reen wasn’t having any thoughts about racing. Reen, who competes in both the Late Model and SK Modified divisions at Stafford, was suspended for a week by track officials for issues involving aggressiveness on track in recent weeks.
“It makes you not want to go racing,” Reen said of the penalty. “Golf is looking a lot better every single day.”
The specific incident that led to the suspension came on lap 19 of last week’s Late Model feature when Reen made contact with Albert Saunders on a restart.
“I feel bad, but I had followed him the last five or six laps and his braking point was about three cars lengths further than on the restart,” Reen said. “So I assumed he was going to go into the same exact spot that he had been going into all race and he lifted way early and I just pummeled him. It had nothing to do with me wrecking him on purpose. It was just hard racing. We were on the restart and everyone was on the edge trying to get what they could get.”
Reen was thrown out of the event last week after the issue with Saunders.
“He was put on probation on week one at the [NAPA Spring] Sizzler for two counts of aggression,” said Tom Fox, director of racing operations at Stafford. “… He made it through the following Friday Ok and the next Friday he didn’t He spun somebody out and got put to the back and spun somebody else out and got parked for the remainder of the event. … We took a look at last year, he was in the system quite often. It’s not the way we want people to race out there and we’re going to act accordingly.”
Reen won the 30-lap Late Model feature at the NAPA Spring Sizzler on April 29. He finished sixth in the second event of the season on May 4. Reen said he wasn’t aware he was put on probation from the opening week.
“I knew we got black flagged but I didn’t know we were put on probation at the Sizzler,” Reen said. “[Michael Wray] and I got together in the Sizzler and it was just hard racing. There was no deliberate contact on either half. I guess that put me on probation. I didn’t know that. Last year they said they were going to sit you down and tell you when you were put on probation. I was never sat down and told I was on probation.”
Reen said he argued that he shouldn’t be suspended from the SK Modified division as a punishment stemming from issues in Late Model competition.
“I went back and forth trying to fight with them saying ‘We haven’t had any problems with the SK, so why am I being parked?'” Reen said. “They said ‘It’s the driver, you’re the problem.’ I said ‘If I fail math, I don’t automatically fail English because I’m the same student.’ And they said ‘If you lose your driver’s license to drive a car you can’t drive a truck.’ I was just like, ‘Ok, well’ … It’s very frustrating.”
Said Fox: “The driver is the issue, not the car. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. He can claim that it’s not fair, and I appreciate his opinion on that. I could see where if I had two divisions I’d want them to be separate too. But at the end of the day when the driver is the problem then the driver is suspended. It has nothing to do with what vehicle he is in.”
Reen is currently fifth in the Late Model division standings, 10 points behind leader Darrell Keane. He is 18th in the SK Modified division standings.
Thank you stafford. Reen is all over the track and is a danger to himself and everyone else. He is an out of control pinball.
Good call Stafford – he is out of control and yes he did cause a big crash in the sk race at the sizzler. he drove over Mike Jr going into three and caused a mess behind him.
Gotta agree with you dougdacheater. Reen has always been an aggressive driver, but this year he’s gone too far. And he has had incidents in the SK. One week suspension is better than being told not to come back, so he should just man up, and calm his driving down.
Glen. change your name to Theodore. They might have a different book for that name.
Glen is a great driver,just needs to back it down a bit on the agression side.Cant drive overother cars to make your way to the frt.A good driver and car will get there,just need more patience.Take the penalty and move on.Good call by Stafford Officals.Way to much contact by Reen with other cars in both divisions.
Interesting tactic, admit you “pummeled” the guy and then complain about getting a week off
I was thinking Glenn was the new Theodore. That sort of driving was never a problem before, why now? Geez, the fans went nuts for that crazy driving and wrecking from the other guy. Then blamed everyone else for being in the way.
I can’t believe Reen is being called out for aggressive driving. This is normal operating procedure for TC.
I’m disappointed cause Reen is one of those guys that is fun to watch. He’s exciting. Not disagreeing with anyone or the decision of management. It’s just too bad. Wish they had kept the penalty isolated to the division where the offense occurred so I could see him in the 17 tonight. Oh well.
Will we see Dan Avery in the 17 tonight?
I think many people at Stafford would approve of his choice of golf over racing if that’s what he would rather do
Stafford motor speedway and fox should be ashamed let the guys race and settle it on there own why do you think madhouse is as successful as it is because they let men being men you guys have the most boring program going it’s not real racing it’s follow the leader when TC was around and a lot of the old-timers there was real racing
He sucks
He can drive at the toilet bowl and they won’t suspend him because they barely have enough cars to run a race. I agree with all the other comments. He needs a week off and so do the other competitors he’s torn up. Good call Stafford.
Fore….
i’d like to thank the good Lord above for this obvious call. he was a Menace even when he ran the lights. Amen.
The jury has spoken. Guilty as charged in the court of public opinion. Sitting one guy now may help car counts in August. Stafford usually has that in mind when laying down the law.
All sarcasm and such aside, good call. TCs overly aggressive driving, wrecking and antics were getting old, and TC was losing out on quality ride opportunities as a result the last few years. Racing is expensive enough as it is, don’t need additional wrecking expenses.
The SK series has the potential to be an awesome series if they can only race and not spend all that time under caution and reds.
It wasn’t THAT he punted, it was WHO he punted. You can’t pummel a Stafford guy and not get called out. Lucky it wasn’t Casagrande, he not only would have been suspended longer and got a good ass kicking.
It’s not THAT he pummeled, but WHO he pummeled. Lucky it wasn’t Casagrande, not only would he have gotten a longer suspension, but also a good ass kicking too
Greens fees at Trump courses are cheap now… no wait time.
Racer28…what the nine cars they have at stafford are considered a high car count
Pathetic used to have 11 cars in each heat and a consi, and cars still ended up going home. For a few years had so many cars we ran a B main, the 21 means 21 race, and there were usually a dozen cars in it.
Is this the same Tom Fox that wrecked my dad coming to the checkered at Flemington back in the day at the race of champions. He’s calling someone else out. 😂😂😂😂
dah!realgoodfella do you have a life other than putting every body down! How old are you? I ‘ve been around racing for 47 years! You are always saying negative things against everybody in racing! Ever been in involved? There’s a lot of Blood, Sweat , and Tears involved in what these guys do! They do it for the love of the sport (definitely not the money). GIVE THEM A BREAK!
LM, I was referring to the SK division he competes in not the late models. I agree with you the Stafford late model division needs at least twice as many cars to make it a race and not a parade.
Big difference between this guy and T C , TC could drive a race car
OMG please tell me someone didn’t try to compare Glen Reen to TC. If so my advice is PUT THE CRACK PIPE DOWN! That is so absolutely ridiculous Glen Reen comparable to TC Is the stuff crystal meth halusinations are made of. Please seek proffesional help for your own sanity
Amen Brothers!!! Elect and Rob P I couldn’t said it better being a huge TC fan!!! Thank You!!!
In fairness you shouldn’t be comparing 2017 Ted Christopher to 2108 Glen Reen. The fair comparison is 33 year old TC in 1991 to 33 year old Glen Reen in 2018. Racing needs wild cards like Reen.
I taught him everything he knows!
Doug I’m sorry still no comparison, and the racing was just fine this week with a few less cautions and a few less wrecked cars, didnt miss him a bit
In view of Ted Christophers tragic death and a life cut short it’s natural for people to be selective when remembering his past. Suffice it to say there was baggage along with the brilliance. Especially in the first decade or so of SK racing. Reen attracts the exact same emotion. It’s a good thing. I think he’s terrific but if you think he’s a menace that’s fine to. Just for the record Marcello Rufrano, Chuck Harrison, John Walker, Zack Robinson and Josh Wood all received penalties for contact. How things change. If the same contact criteria had been used at any track in the hay day of circle track racing 3 quarters of the field would be suspended every week.
“He lifted way early”.Glen,Who on God’s green earth “sends it in” into turn 1 on a restart ?
Doug I GOTTA say yur SPOT on, having been going to races many many years and no I don’t like the move up the track in the turns lots of drivers do these days and not for the bump and run, there will be contact when guys are racing for the lead or a spot, why its called racing, drivers like TC, the Reg, Tiger Tom Baldwin, Jimmy Spencer and yes HALL of famers like Richie Evans and Dale Earnhardt all had a love or hate label because of the ways they Moved people, I always here THE 3 TAP RULE when these days 1 tap gets u sent to the rear!!!
wmass01013 wrote, “…no I don’t like the move up the track in the turns lots of drivers do these days …”
That was one of TCs most popular tactics, also known as “8 tires are better than 4”. Moving cars up was common for TC, why is it news now? TC’s fans loved it, especially if a car was walled in the process. Since TC did it as if it was standard operating procedure, why can’t everyone else?
I watch the fans. When TC pulled one of these moves, there were rabid TC fans that loved it, and the rest that abhorred it.
Looks like tracks are finally attempting to apply objective racing rules and policies now, and we can only hope.
I don’t understand why folks insist on comparing drivers. They have their own styles. When folks reminisce about Evans and other greats, there simply can be no comparison. They are unique individuals, known for their own special memories. I’ve seen Evans, Spencer, Leaty, Kent, and the others of the Golden Era of modified racing, and there is no way to compare these guys. No way. These guys are known for racing, not debris fields.
Because that kind of driving cost everybody a lot of money and time